The Numbers Game

“The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength” Psalm 33:16

The Numbers Game

Saved – When David wrote this verse, his heart must have been crushed.  This is personal testimony, not a spiritual platitude.  David’s greatest sin was not with Bathsheba.  The immediate punishment for his adultery and murder was the death of the child conceived in that affair.  But when David ignored the source of his true security, seventy thousand died.  David’s pride destroyed thousands of innocent people.  He knew in the depths of his heart that there was no security in numbers.

The story is in 1 Chronicles 21.  It begins with an insight into the need for observable security.  “Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1).  David knew God.  David knew God’s personal protection.  David had a history that should have come into play.  But Satan tempted David with a very “natural” inclination.  “Why don’t you just count the army to see how powerful you have become?  Why don’t you get a handle on your assets?  Why don’t you calculate your strength?”  And why would David succumb to such a suggestion?  It seemed so obvious.  There were enemies everywhere.  Israel was at war.  Troop strength seemed essential.  And there was one other thing.  David was the king.  What kind of king doesn’t even know his own resources?  A king should be proud of his power.

David’s general Joab warned David against the census.  He saw that numbers meant nothing to God.  He saw that counting was a step toward self-reliance.  But David didn’t listen.  Seventy thousand souls died as a result of David’s sin.

Counting.  It seems so important.  How many members in the church?  How much money in the bank?  How many employees?  How much capital?  How many customers?  How big?  Our culture is obsessed with the question.  Do you suppose the Satan stands up against the church today and moves us to count?  There was a reason that God reduced Gideon’s band to 300.  There was a reason Jesus selected only 12.  There was a reason Paul took only one with him.  Strength has nothing to do with numbers.  Strength has to do with who sends you!

The basic meaning of the Hebrew word for “save” (yashah) is to bring to a place of safety.  David needed to learn that the only place of safety is in the hand of God.  He had a very hard lesson.  Do you suppose that God has changed His mind about safety since David counted the army?

What do you count on?